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            Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love,
            live in or have just visited - are what make this guide.
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                <title>Anchor Steam Brewery Tour</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21619</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[A free weekday only tour of a local brewery which includes lots of free samples at the end.  Very popular so you need to book weeks in advance!]]></description>
                
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                <title>Japan Town</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21317</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Not as celebrated, as big or as central as San Francisco's Chinatown, Japan Town is still definitely one of the coolest places to visit in one of the world's coolest cities. Strung either side of Post St for a few blocks between Pacific Heights and the Fillmore, on the outside it is a largely unattractive, concrete-clad, easy to miss place, save for a few Japanese plants and the Japan Centre tower. However, enter the subterranean mall and you are transported into a kitsch Japanese fantasy world. Alongside numerous sushi houses and other restaurants (many of which do charge more than the city's huge range of other fantastic Japanese eateries) are supermarkets, gift shops, art and design stores, bookshops. All with a unique, quirky, Japanese flair (one stationery shop had a hilarious line of animal-innuendo notebooks). The kitsch pastiche decor only adds to the whole charm of the place, and despite it being obviously tourist-orientated, Japan Town remains fun and not overrun, perhaps by nature of its location. Definitely remember to sample some of the bobo drinks, they're one of the cheapest things there, and fantastic.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Napa Valley</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16681</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[This very unique little valley, crammed with vineyards and beautiful houses, cannot be discovered in a single day.   Following the advice of a girl who had once lived there, a friend and myself decided to start the day off at ARTESA, a discreet modern building surrounded by lovely fountains, overlooking a spectacular view of the rolling hills of Napa.<br><br>I am not a wine expert, but what I  wanted to share was the warmth of the sun, the friendliness of the locals, the green and golden beauty of the view, along with the wonderful fumes of the wine, some made from vines grown from samples that  came all the way from my native country, Spain. I felt as if I had been drinking from the fountain of eternal youth, life in its purest form. It was a glorious, wonderful feeling. I'll toast to that mid-February day, over and over again. Cheers.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Cha Cha Cha</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7851</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Cha Cha Cha is a restaurant on Haight Street. The food is Caribbean - my favorite is the red snapper wrapped in banana leaves with black beans and plantains - but no matter what you eat, or even if you're not hungry, DO NOT MISS the sangria (just make sure you don't have to drive afterwards).<br><br>As the Frommers website says, Cha Cha Cha is not a meal, it's an experience. Moderately priced. No reservations. Weird people, weird neighborhood, great food and wine (not a full bar).]]></description>
                
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                <title>Thee Parkside</title>
                
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                <description><![CDATA[For the best local rock and punk bands head to this little bar at the base of Potrero Hill. Friendly, alcohol-fueled, huge patio, cheap beer. Cover charge varies from $5-7 depending on night and bands. Everything starts late, the first act crawling on to the stage about 10pm. Thai food available earlier in the evening.]]></description>
                
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                <title>1550 Hyde</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7787</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[This restaurant in San Francisco has wonderful food, and an exceptional wine list.]]></description>
                
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                <title>J Vineyards, Sonoma Valley</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7752</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[A beautiful winery, off the beaten track in Sonoma Valley, which is a short (2-3 hour) drive from San Francisco. The reason I choose this winery over all the others is that they are the only winery that I know of that pairs hors d'oeuvres with each wine you taste. The taste of the food really brings out the flavours of the wines, making for an enhanced wine-tasting experience. The winery is also near the gorgeous Alexander Valley, famous for its Zinfandels and its stunning scenery, much more rustic and picturesque than commercial Napa Valley.<br><br>I suggest either hiring a car in SF and spending a day driving around the area, or booking yourself onto a wine-tasting tour/limousine, obviously allowing you to sample more of the region's produce.]]></description>
                
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